Talking about Olympic events while ramping up for the next major competition in Tokyo!

Sunday, January 21, 2018

The Olympic Blurb 2018: Prep Yourself

With less than three weeks to go, it is time for the casual fans to finally realize that the next Olympics is quickly approaching. NBC has gone all out, reminding viewers at literally every commercial break that the Winter Olympics start in February.

Fans might get a bit sick of the repetitive commercials and promotional packaging at the grocery store, but there are lots of other ways to gear up for the Games that are far less obnoxious and incredibly enjoyable!

Prep with a Podcast

I enjoy listening to podcasts, and most of them deal with Star Wars. Understandably, I was a little worn out of Star Wars talk a few weeks after The Last Jedi was released, and I was looking to decompress with something different. That's when I discovered Olympic Fever, a new podcast hosted by Jill Jaracz and Alison Brown. They have been podcasting since September and are getting people ready for PyeongChang with podcasts dedicated to specific sports of the Winter Olympics.

Not only do they talk about sports like snowboarding, hockey, biathlon, and luge, they also interview athletes, coaches, and officiants who have been at (or are going to) the Olympics! I love these interviews because these women and men aren't high profile superstars - they're just regular people who are having a conversation about what they love to do.

I think my favorite episodes are the ones about traditions of the Olympics. Their first episode was all about mascots, and they've also had episodes on the torch relay, pin collecting, and past and future host cities for the Olympics.

I'm eager to continue on with the podcast even after the Winter Olympics are over!

Find Olympic Fever on iTunes and other feeds!Find Olympic Social Media Accounts

If you're spending time watching qualifying events and Olympic trials, it is a good idea to see if those athletes you're watching have active accounts on social media.

For example, during the US Figure Skating Championships a few weeks ago, I checked on a few accounts on Twitter. The Shibutani siblings from ice dancing have three separate accounts - Alex has one, Maia has one, and then they both have a ShibSibs account - on Twitter. I also started following Mirai Nagasu, who posts quite a lot.

The key is finding athletes that post regularly, and finding athletes that don't just post sponsored materials! I love finding athletes that post their workouts or travels.

Sometimes athletes go on a complete blackout during competition, so there's a chance that they will be active until February and then disappear. Hopefully they can post a little bit!

After the Rio games a brand-new channel was started called The Olympic Channel. It has a broad spectrum of coverage, even though it doesn't seem like it would. It shows replays of Olympic events of the past, profiles old and new Olympic athletes, and then covers competitions that are connected to the Olympics.

There is a transition of sports coverage in the fall of 2017 to go from summer events to the winter events, and now they are full-on Winter Olympics prep. They do everything from World Cup events to European Championships to US national competitions. I like all the variety of events!

Whether it's watching the Opening Ceremony or just a random day/night of Olympic viewing with friends or family, parties are a great way to celebrate!

I hosted a party in 2016, but I had just moved about a month earlier and was still working on unpacking and getting ready for my new job. This time around, I have lots of time to prepare!

I went onto Oriental Trading Company and ordered a flags-of-the-world centerpiece, tablecloth, plates, and cups! They actually have a whole section dedicated to decorations for the "International Winter Games," if you're interested.

I love making cream of mushroom meatballs and pigs in a blanket, but I also am making special cookie dough truffles! My friends are bringing something to contribute to the party, so it means I have fewer things to make, but I still want to make sure I have plenty of food made myself!

My party starts at 6 while the NBC coverage of the Opening Ceremony starts at 8, so I'm hoping the stream is online that we can watch! (If not, at least I'll have events from February 8 to show on my TV!)

Read Up

Don't forget to look at the magazine and newspaper previews, whether they're online or in print form! A lot of sports magazines have special Winter Olympics editions, and if you're lucky newspapers will have a section dedicated to Olympic coverage each day of the event.

If you're also unfamiliar with some of the events - or just the rules, for that matter - it is a good idea to look it up before the Games begin, because once they start, there won't be any time!

So how are you getting prepared for the Winter Olympics? What event are you most excited to see? Which athlete will you root for the most? Prepare yourself, and you'll enjoy these Games even more than usual!

My name is Claire Nat! You can follow me on Twitter @CeePipes for lots of Olympic comments, or follow me on Facebook at facebook.com/blurbmusings. Check out my blog for other articles!